Solar-powered bags can recharge phones

Emma Woollacott, 15th October 2009

The idea is that they can then be tapped to recharge items like cell phones, e-readers or cameras.

The panels come from UK manufacturer G24 Innovations. The flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are flexible and relatively cheap, says the company. They will harvest energy outdoors as well as in low light conditions indoors to repower a range of mobile electronic devices.

Right now, the panels can't handle anything as big as a PC - indeed, they take several hours to charge a mobile phone. But the company hopes to further develop the technology.

"We’ve achieved this milestone through a sustained focus on transforming a highly promising technology from the lab to mass production, such that it can be applied to a variety of commercial opportunities," said G24i’s chief executive officer, John Hartnett. "Our goal is to deliver the future of mobile energy by personalizing solar power."